Rejoicing in Heaven

I woke up this morning and was lying there contemplating my day and praying for Craig when the phone rang at about 7:15. Will answered it and was making very happy comments, then he gave the phone to me. Craig said through his sobs, "I gave my life to Jesus Christ today!" Praise God, He is so awesome! But I have to know the details of course.

To backtrack, Craig called a week ago Friday to let us know he had been accepted into the Discipleship Training School at the Hurlach Castle in Germany where he's been working. The term was starting the next day with get-acquainted activites. He said he had gone from not really caring about it to being very excited about attending. What changed your attitude, I wondered. His reply was, "Well, maybe it has something to do with this God that everyone keeps talking about!" It's three months of school and three months of an outreach in Venezuela. Yesterday we got a short e-mail from him saying he was glad he had decided to stay and was learning a lot. So today, I asked if he had learned things during his classes this week that answered questions and doubts that he had. No, that wasn't it. He said all week he has felt a heaviness from God on him. Today his DTS team leader was talking to him about his own relationship with Jesus, and Craig said he finally realized that he needed to choose to follow Jesus. He expressed how sorry he is for the life he's led and kept apologizing for crying during our conversation, saying he didn't think he'd ever cried from joy before!

The scripture from Luke 15:10 has been on my mind today. ".....there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." They are rejoicing about my son today! I came across this picture of Craig and Nathan at their high school graduation and had to smile, thinking of how much Nathan is rejoicing today as well! His sister Becky told me Nathan called her and said he had been gone for the day, and when he got back to the castle, Craig came running out the door and jumped on him, yelling, "I've got Jesus, I've got Jesus!" Nathan's love for his friend and his obedience to God are making a huge difference in many lives.

The theme verse at church this month is one of my very favorites, Ephesians 3:20. I have been praying for years that God's power would be at work within Craig, praying to the God who is "able to do immeasurably (or "exceedingly abundantly") more than all we ask or even imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." I did not imagine that God would work in the way that he has, but it is very exciting to see his power at work!